Slimp s invention has served newspaper industry for 20 years

Transcription

1 Vol. 77 NOVEMBER 2013 No. 5 Slimp s invention has served newspaper industry for 20 years BY ELENORA E. EDWARDS Managing editor ments created on a PC could not be read on a Mac, and vice versa), and it made possible the electronic transmission of documents from one location to another for printing. Slimp s involvement began in 1993 when he learned that a then-small company, Adobe, was working on just such a program, called Acrobat. At the time, as owner of an ad agency, he was aware of how expensive it was to create color proofs and get them to a client, since they had to be sent by courier. His cost to print and deliver one ad averaged $80. He called Adobe, where he was put in touch with Gary Cosimini, who sent Slimp a copy of the Acrobat software. He began to work with it and figured out how to create proofs that could be created and read on any computer. The problem was, they could not be printed. Vernon McKinney, a former newspaperman who owned a service bureau near Slimp s office, dropped in and SEE SLIMP, PAGE 3 Chris Menees, staff reporter with the Union City Daily Messenger, won the Reporter s Hymn Contest conducted by The Tennessee Press during September. She won $50. I Love to Tell the Story perfect for reporters BY ELENORA E. EDWARDS Managing editor Tell the story. That s what journalists do. And they ve got to love it or 1) they wouldn t work for modest pay and 2) they wouldn t do a very good job. So, Chris Menees, a staff reporter with the Union City Daily Messenger, is the winner of the Reporter s Hymn Contest. She suggested I Love to Tell the Story, It s an old standard from the Baptist Hymnal, she wrote. It s also in many other hymnals and is the one this reporter had in mind all along. Menees will receive $50. She was not the only one to suggest I Love to Tell the Story she was the first, though. Richard Clark, vice president of inside sales and small business ini- Many, if not most, of us in the newspaper industry in Tennessee know Kevin Slimp. Most of us know what a PDF is. But what many, if not most, don t know is that Slimp is the father of the PDF as we know it. The PDF (that stands for portable document format) was a breakthrough in at least two ways. It cleared up the problem of incompatibility (docutiatives for the Northeast Tennessee Media Group, Johnson City, wrote, Clearly, for reporters the hymn needs to be I Love to Tell the Story. The words to this hymn were written by Katherine Hankey ( ). Amanda Kimbrell, administrative assistant at the News-Herald, Lenoir City, also suggested that one. Karen Geary, creative director at The Paris Post-Intelligencer, wife of a Methodist minister, offered these suggestions: Behold What News We Bring, Good News and No Other Story. Lise Cutshaw, media and marketing coordinator at the Mary B. Martin School of Arts at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, proposed We ve a Story to Tell to the Nations, SEE CONTEST, PAGE 3 ROBYN GENTILE TPA Kevin Slimp holds in his left hand the first sheet of film printed from a PDF. It was printed at The Typecase in, owned by Vernon McKinney, a former newspaper publisher and past TPA president ( ). The newspaper page Slimp is holding is the first color broadsheet printed from a PDF. It was printed with Scott Whaley s help on the press of the Chester County Independent, Henderson. The framed item is the story in the Nov. 25, 1995 issue of the News Sentinel,, telling about Slimp s invention. RICHARDSON 2 FORESIGHT 3 ADVERTISING 4 OBITS 5 REWRITES 5 TRACKS GIBSON 13 SLIMP 15 INSIDE IN CONTACT Phone: (865) Fax: (865) Online:

2 2 The Tennessee Press NOVEMBER 2013 (USPS ) Published quarterly by the TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE, INC. for the TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION, INC. 435 Montbrook Lane, Tennessee Telephone (865) /Fax (865) / Subscriptions: $6 annually Periodicals Postage Paid At, TN POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Tennessee Press, 435 Montbrook Lane,, TN The Tennessee Press is printed by The Standard Banner, Jefferson City. Greg M. Sherrill...Editor Elenora E. Edwards...Managing Editor Robyn Gentile...Production Coordinator Angelique Dunn...Assistant Responding to local business needs YOUR PRESIDING REPORTER Lynn J. Richardson responsibility to it when I uncovered a very old copy of the Herald & Tribune. Dated Oct. 14, 1959, it has an editorial cartoon front and center, above the fold. The cartoon is for National Newspaper Week. In it, a couple nestled in their easy chairs and of course, reading their newspapers, hear a voice on the radio saying Again we remind you that your community paper is what YOU make it! Support your hometown merchants who in turn support your home town paper! A lot of things have changed over the years in our industry, but our involvement with our community and the support we offer our merchants is just as important, if not more so, today than it was back in We don t have all the answers but we should be The Tennessee Press is printed on recycled paper and is recyclable. The Tennessee Press can be read on OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION Lynn J. Richardson, Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough...President Jason P. Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press...Vice President Joel Washburn, The McKenzie Banner...Vice President John Finney, Buffalo River Review, Linden...Treasurer Greg M. Sherrill,...Executive Director DIRECTORS Keith Wilson, Kingsport Times-News...District 1 Jack McElroy, News Sentinel,...District 2 Chris Vass, Chattanooga Times Free Press...District 3 Darren Oliver, Overton County News, Livingston...District 4 Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times-Gazette...District 5 Jesse Lindsey, The Lebanon Democrat...District 6 Mark Palmer, The Daily Herald, Columbia...District 7 Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress...District 8 Daniel Richardson, Magic Valley Publishing, Camden...District 9 Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis...District 10 Michael B. Williams...Immediate Past President TENNESSEE PRESS SERVICE Jeffrey D. Fishman, The Tullahoma News...President Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange...Vice President Ralph C. Baldwin, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville...Director David Critchlow Jr., Union City Daily Messenger...Director Jason P. Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press...Director Jana Thomasson, The Mountain Press, Sevierville...Director Greg M. Sherrill...Executive Vice President TENNESSEE PRESS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION Gregg K. Jones, The Greeneville Sun...President Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror-Exchange...Vice President Richard L. Hollow,...General Counsel Greg M. Sherrill...Secretary-Treasurer CONTACT THE MANAGING EDITOR TPAers with suggestions, questions or comments about items in The Tennessee Press are welcome to contact the managing editor. Call Elenora Easterly Edwards, (865) ; send a note to P.O. Box 502, Clinton, Tenn ; or ElenoraEdwards@Comcast.net. The deadline for the December issue is Nov. 11. After learning that yet another local business had decided to close, a local merchant picked up the phone and called our newspaper. What are we going to do? he wanted to know. That question is being asked a lot lately. Like many others we ve talked to, there is growing concern about the demise of local businesses and the increasing number of empty buildings along Main Streets everywhere. We re not alone here in Tennessee. In fact, overall we re better off than most. Communities across the country are seeing doors of businesses and industries slam shut, never to open again. It has been a tough month around here. In just the past two weeks, we learned that a locallyowned barbecue restaurant has vacated its space and in mid-november, we will say goodbye to a nine-year veteran shop that assumed the role of an anchor retailer in our downtown. The closures have also extended to our restaurant row on the nearby four-lane bypass, with a promising 1-year-old locally-owned eatery biting the dust. It is extremely concerning, as you might imagine, to watch such things happen and it is an issue with which we can all identify. However, one of the most telling things about all this is the fact a merchant called our newspaper asking for help. That is an indication, if not an inspiration, that our local businesses look to us to be part of the solution when there are problems in the community. Some of our communities across Tennessee have strong economic development leadership. In others, not so much. But whatever the case, it is a tough job and one that requires determination and consistency. All he or she can do is just keep plugging away, constantly researching companies that might be looking for a new home and inviting them to come to town. I doubt there is one of them, though, who wouldn t appreciate some help. That s where we come in. I was reminded of our place in the community and our willing to step up and help find solutions, looking for ways to take good care of the businesses we currently have. In doing so, we exhibit to prospects that we are ready and willing to provide resources that can help ensure their future success once they get here. That merchant s call prompted us to do some research on how other small towns deal with such issues and we found ourselves looking at a study conducted by the University of North Carolina called Small Towns, Big Ideas. The project looked at such communities as Ord, Nebraska, population 2,300; Fairfield, Iowa, population 9,500 and Etowah, here in Tennessee, that has 3,600 residents. However, the case study that most caught our eye, was the one done in nearby Brevard, N.C., population 6,300. Brevard, much like our community, has capitalized on both its history and its scenic beauty. Tourism has played a huge part in the community s success, bringing in nearly $70 million in revenue for the county as a whole. There s another similarity. Brevard is a popular place to retire and the town has found a way to capitalize on the economic value of those retirees, and not just as consumers. The leadership in that area is tapping into the business expertise within its retiree population as a tool for supporting local entrepreneurship, the study reports. SEE RICHARDSON, PAGE 3

3 NOVEMBER 2013 The Tennessee Press 3 SLIMP: Invention has served industry 20 years FROM PAGE ONE asked if Slimp had any new toys. By that time Slimp had built a bulletin board service (BBS), and his clients could receive proofs and see them onscreen. McKinney inquired as to whether a PDF could be sent to a newspaper for printing. And it couldn t. In the meantime, Don Campbell, executive director of the Tennessee Press Association, contacted him because he and Dale Gentry of The Standard Banner, Jefferson City, had seen a BBS that was being used in Wisconsin, where they had gone to coordinate a newspaper contest. He said that if Slimp could devise a way to get the PDF to print, they would work out a way for newspapers to be able to use them. TPA soon created a BBS for all its member newspapers. This was made possible by a grant from the TPA Foundation that would buy modems for all newspapers, and employed Slimp to conduct training across the state. Word about the process spread, and magazines such as Publish, as well as the News Sentinel,, covered it. Other press associations wanted the same thing. Up to that point, the BBS could send only black and white ads. But a turning point, Slimp said, came when he was contacted by Bob Thayes, creator of the Frank & Ernest comic strip. Thayes wasn t satisfied with the method he was using to distribute the strip, and he asked if color comics could benefit by using the PDF process. Seeing the necessity to get the color matter settled, he flew to Silicon Valley, Mountain View, Calif., to Adobe headquarters. He worked with the people there, to no avail. They said it couldn t be done. But on the way home FROM PAGE 2 RICHARDSON TIME LINE 1991 Slimp opens AdTech Design in 1991 Bulletin board service created for Tennessee newspapers 1992 Adobe begins design of Acrobat 1993 Slimp inquires and is sent a copy of Acrobat 1995 Slimp finds way to create a color PDF that could be printed 1996 Tennessee newspapers start using PDFs for advertisers, other uses 1998 Slimp is hired by TPS, becomes technology director and Institute of Newspaper Technology director then moves on a few years Slimp is rehired by TPS. on a plane, it dawned on him how to do it. Slimp went to his office directly and created the first color PDF that would print. Thayes began to send his comics by Syquest cartridge. Slimp would convert the material to PDFs. Newspapers were beginning to use more color. Scott Whaley, then with the Chester County Independent, Henderson, and who had a brand new printing plant, was the first in Tennessee to take advantage of the new technology. His plant in West Tennessee began printing a newspaper located in Cookeville in Middle Tennessee, more Using that segment of their population, Brevard has created a network of retirees to help new and existing businesses prosper and expand. Their Retiree Resource Network is a collection of more than 65 retired business people who can offer topnotch consulting free of charge. In 2007, the network won the Outstanding County Program Award from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and has served as a model for other rural areas with retirement communities. The project has also been effective in helping attract prospective clients. The group works to foster new business start-ups as well as making contacts with companies from outside the area who may be interested in relocating to the area. We presented this idea to our community in a recent editorial. It may not be the solution, but it is a start. We plan to continue the dialogue and hopefully, together we can come up with some effective ideas to make some exciting things happen in our town. Being willing to respond to our local businesses is such an important part of what we do and it s sort of like a boomerang. The support we give our communities during the hard times almost always returns to us when things start to turn around. LYNN J. RICHARDSON is publisher of the Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough. than 200 miles away. Campbell, who worked with TPA for 16 years (August 1980 through December 1996), the last six as executive director, noted, TPA was a real trendsetter in that way. He recalled that he went to a meeting of the Newspaper Association Managers, where he explained what Tennessee was doing, and other managers said, It ll never work. Back in, he told Slimp, who was using the process with his customers, It ll never work. Cosimini recalled that Kevin was able to consider the Acrobat program and then look three steps ahead, and that type of approach made the technology successful, he said. Lisa Griffin, a veteran instructor for the Institute of Newspaper Technology and employed by Boone Newspapers in Selma, Ala., sought out Slimp after reading about what Slimp had discovered. I visited him at his office in, and he quickly went to work teaching me the ins and outs of producing news pages that would end up as separated CMYK plates at remote printing sites. Griffin said her first clue that Slimp was thorough and prepared in what he does was when he presented her a large binder with documentation, examples, procedures and much other information. Griffin returned to Alabama and spread the word. This was the start of a great business relationship with Kevin as well as a great friendship, Griffin said. The equipment has improved, the technology has advanced, said Griffin, but the principles learned in that office in many years ago have remained the same. It is amazing to think back on how this simple idea of creating plates through PDF technology has changed the production of newspapers, magazines and other printed materials. Slimp has long been an employee of TPS. Bob DeBusk hired him in After a few years, he went to work for the United Methodist Church, but in 2003, he was rehired by the current executive vice president, Greg Sherrill. Slimp combines his TPS work with consulting with newspapers and speaking across North America on the issues related to the newspaper industry. His pet project is to get children to read newspapers. He is confident that the industry is strong and will become stronger. Slimp believes deeply that newspapers are important in our society. Since he began delivering newspapers at age 7 or 8, they have been his bliss. Lindsey named TPA director TPA President Lynn J. Richardson has appointed Jesse Lindsey, publisher of The Lebanon Democrat, as the new TPA director for District 6. Joe Adams, former publisher of the Democrat, previously held the position. Lindsey Adams recent move to a new post in Kingsport led to his resignation from the Board of Directors. Lindsey is filling the term, which expires in June Lindsey joined The Lebanon Democrat on Sept. 23. Earlier he was publisher of The Rogersville Review. District 6, in Middle Tennessee, covers TPA member newspapers in these counties: Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner and Wilson. Which district are you in? Who is your director? A district list, map and director information are posted at CONTEST FROM PAGE ONE and said, I sang it growing up in the Baptist Church. Certainly appropriate, particularly for metro papers. Larry Smith, retired publisher of the The LaFollette Press, suggested that one as well as another he ran across, I Would Be True, had meaning that was applicable for all reporters. The first stanza has these words: I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are those who care; I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare, I would be brave, for there is much to dare. Those words, written in 1906, are by Howard A. Walter ( ). MARKETPLACE EXECUTIVE EDITOR POSITION AVAILABLE - Jonesborough (TN) Publishing is seeking an executive editor who is creative, bold and multi-talented to join an award-winning team at its weekly newspaper in the state s oldest town, Jonesborough. The successful candidate will have excellent organizational and leadership skills, a take-charge attitude, commitment to the public s right to know and a heart for the newspaper s FORESIGHT 2013 NOVEMBER 3-5: Event Revenue Summit sponsored by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Chattanoogan Hotel 8: Society for News Design Annual Workshop and Exhibition, Louisville, Ky. 8: TPA Government Affairs Committee, 9-10:30 a.m., The Tennessean building, Nashville 8: SNPA-TPA Publishers Summit, 10:45 a.m.-3 p.m., The Tennessean building, Nashville 28-29: TPA offices closed for Thanksgiving holiday 2014 FEBRUARY 5-7: TPA Winter Convention & Press Institute, Nashville 27-March 2: National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, Baltimore MARCH 13: NNA Leadership Summit, Washington, D.C : NAA Media Xchange, Hyatt Regency Denver, Denver, Colo. MAY 1-2: Advertising/Circulation Conference (tentative) JUNE 5-7: TPA 145th Anniversary Summer Convention, Gatlinburg SEPTEMBER 4-6: National SPJ Excellence in Journalism Conference, Nashville TBA: Second Annual Border War Golf Tournament, Kentucky Kudos Daniel Richardson and Dennis Richardson, Magic Valley Newspapers, Camden, were the first to register for the Nov. 8 Publishers Summit in Nashville. role in the community. This position will also require a strong background in layout and design and will include editing, writing and assignment duties. Proficiency with Adobe Suite programs, including Photoshop and InDesign, will be essential. This is an immediate opening. Please send cover letter, resume with references, clips and salary expectations to lrichardson@heraldandtribune.com.

4 4 The Tennessee Press NOVEMBER 2013 Network sales up 4%; thanks! BY BETH ELLIOTT Network advertising manager The NAM Classified & Display Network Advertising Conference was held this year in Atlanta. David Wells, TPS advertising director, and I were asked to speak. David delivered Elliott a compelling presentation about the Strength and Value of Newspapers. Of course, it was a hit, with timely and persuasive information that we all need to hear. My topic was Getting your newspapers to sell. In all honesty, it is you, the reps who sell the Network ads, who should receive all the credit. Thank you for making TPS an example of what can be done across the nation. It is you, the reps, actively selling the ads; you, the publishers, encouraging your reps to sell the ads; you who make this work. You are the reason Tennessee s Advertising Network sales are up 4 percent this year over last! It is my goal for each and every TPA member that participates in Tennessee s Advertising Networks to get the most out of the Networks, and that is by actively selling the ads. Speaking of selling the Network ads, TPS rolled out a new package last month combining TnSCAN, Tennessee s Statewide Classified Ad Network, and TnNET, Tennessee s Online Ad Network. For an extra fee, TnSCAN advertisers can have their ad appear on the TnNET newspaper websites across the state, getting their message to both print and online readers and thus maximizing their reach. How does this help you? If your newspaper participates in both Networks, it helps a great deal. Not only can you populate your classified section with TnSCAN ads, but you have paid ads on your newspaper s website. Plus, you and your sales team have a new product to offer your local clients who are looking for regional or statewide reach. Don t forget, your newspaper keeps a hefty commission on each Network ad you sell. TPS has put together refresher training sessions of which we encourage you to take advantage. If a three-minute crash course is all you need, we can do it. If a more in-depth session is what you need, we can do that. Please contact TPS today to set up your session, x117 for Beth or x108 for David. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Learn tools for digging deeper into stories Looking to learn skills that will help you and your newsroom thrive? Join Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR) for their annual conference devoted to computer-assisted reporting. It is set for Feb. 27 to March 2, 2014 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards. Learn about tools you need to dig deeper into stories and give readers, viewers and your online audience the information they re demanding. For details, see ROBYN GENTILE TPA Earl Goodman, TPS senior media buyer, shows Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston, and Brent Schanding, the LaFollette Press, what he likes about changes that have been made to the Press. Likens and Schanding visited TPA/TPS headquarters on Oct. 4. Newspaper coupons first choice for savings According to the Valassis annual Purse String Survey, millennials rely more heavily on print for their shopping behaviors than you might expect. With newspaper as their number one source for coupons and deals, these promotion-sensitive millennials are getting their savings the same way as all other consumers across age groups and income levels, with 51 percent indicating this print source is their first choice for savings. Millennials sources of coupons and deals (% of respondents 18-34) Newspaper 51% s/coupon alerts 50% Internet searches 38% Mailbox 33% In-store offers 25% Links from savings cites/blogs 23% Retail circulars 21% Coupon books 20% Respondents most often get their coupons and deals from newspapers and s/coupon alerts. For millennials, in-store exceeds their use of retail circulars by 4 percentage points to rank fifth. From print sources, millennials get their deals as follows: September 2013: Year* as of Aug. 31: 33% from the mail 21% from retail circulars 20% from coupon books Over the last 12 months, 27 percent of millennials indicated they are using more mobile coupons compared to 17 percent of the overall findings. Millennials actually are using their smartphone to a greater degree than the general population: 45% access a coupon in an on their smartphone compared to 24% of all respondents 41% access a coupon code on their smartphone versus 24% 36% compare deals versus 20% 32% download a coupon to a loyalty card compared to 20%. Lisa Reynolds, Valassis vice president of Consumer Engagement, notes that the survey results are somewhat counter intuitive from what you might expect (though) heavy digital users this group also embraces tried and true methods for savings as any other age group testament to savings from both print and digital Millennials share at the highest rate (90%) among all age groups: Tennessee Press Service Advertising Placement Snapshot ROP: $248,439 $3,242,311 Network: *The Tennessee Press Service Inc. fi scal year runs Dec. 1 through Nov. 30. $63,764 $610,473 Word of mouth 71% versus 56% of the general populace Social 43% versus 29% with Facebook as their channel of choice accounting for 33% of their social sharing, 10% higher than overall findings Text 30% versus 19%. Looking for savings, 85 percent of millennials seek out grocery coupons compared to 78 percent of the overall findings, followed by clothing and dining out. (Center for Media Research, Sept. 24, 2013) Dorris takes post with Athlon Media Stephen Dorris has joined Athlon Media Group as director of publisher relations. He will be responsible for expanding circulation for AMG s four newspaperdistributed magazines, American Profile, Athlon Sports, Dorris Relish and Spry. Most recently, Dorris served as regional director for the Publishing Group of America and was key to the successful launch of three magazines. As a former Tennessee newspaper owner, he is uniquely qualified in understanding the opportunities facing the business today and looks forward to being an advocate for the future of the newspaper industry a new release stated.

5 NOVEMBER 2013 The Tennessee Press 5 OBITUARIES Opal J. Barnett Formerly with P-I Opal Jackson Bennett, former employee of The Paris Post-Intelligencer, died Aug. 14. She was 92. Born in Whitlock, she was the daughter of the late Walter Alexander Jackson and Nellie Mae Jobe Jackson. In 1945 she married John W. Barnett, who died April 4, She was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church, Paris. She loved pets, fishing and gardening. Barnett leaves two daughters, Paula Lane Barnett of Paris and Pam McKenzie of Clarksville; three sons, Mike and Brad, both of Paris, and Barry of Camden; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Ramona Gilliam Former editor Ramona Gilliam, for 43 years a reporter, editor and photographer for community newspapers, died Sept. 24 at her home in Portland. She was 80. She was born Aug. 29, 1933 to the late John and Mable Phillips. Gilliam Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Carl Gilliam. Gilliam leaves a son, Randy Gilliam of Bethpage; two grandchildren, Kellie Bangert and DeSha Shaw, both of Portland; and great-grandchildren, Brittney Meador, Brandon Meador, Zack Meador, Victoria Nelson and Audra Nelson. Hazel W. Hatcher Formerly with News Sentinel Hazel Wilson Hatcher of died Oct. 11. She was 96. She was a longtime member of Magnolia Avenue United Methodist Church. Hatcher studied Hatcher journalism at the University of Tennessee, and worked for News Sentinel,, and the Spokesman Review, Spokane, Wash. She was active in church where she oversaw the creation and expansion of the church library. Hazel was an artist and a poet, and authored two books, one a collection of original poetry and the other a genealogy entitled Speedwell Seasons. She was chaplain of the Knox County Council of garden clubs. Hatcher and husband were charter members and co-chairs of Contact of, established a scholarship fund at Hiwassee College, and taught hundreds to water ski at their cottage on Douglas Lake. Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, Sherrill T. Hatcher, and parents, George and Mary Love Wilson. Elizabeth Hopper Former P-I employee Elizabeth Paula Ann Hopper, a Headstart employee in Dresden and former worker at The Paris Post-Intelligencer, died Aug. 14 at her home in Mansfield. She was 35. Born Aug. 8, 1978, in Clifton Springs, N.Y., she was the daughter of Paul Hyer of Hopkinsville and Cathy Weed of Menifee, Calif. She also was a substitute teacher and tax preparer for H&R Block in Paris. She was a member of Tennessee Valley Community Church. She leaves her fiance, Donald Ruddell of Mansfield; and three sons, Case and Buck Wimberley and Brady Wilson, all of Paris. (Aug. 16, 2013) Tracy Parsons Former publisher s wife BY MAX HRENDA Elizabethton Star Tracy Parsons, wife of Bill Parsons, advertising director for the Elizabethton Star, died the morning of Oct. 27 as a result of a fire in the kitchen of the Parsons house in Elizabethton. She was 52. Authorities believe that smoke inhalation led to her death. Parsons daughter, Esther Locke, 26, and her 4-year-old son, Aiden, escaped with the help of passersby who were on the way to church, noticed smoke coming from the house and called the local fire department. Bill Parsons, was away undergoing medical treatment at the time of the incident. He is the former publisher of The Rogersville Review. (Adapted, Aug. 16, 2013) Fred L. Sedahl Former newsman Fred L. Sedahl, a former Capitol Hill reporter for United Press International and former news editor of The Daily Herald, Columbia, died Oct. 25 in Mississippi, where he moved about six months ago. He was 68. He was born and reared in Minnesota but spent most of his life in Tennessee. He once managed a coffee plantation in Jamaica and was a former international communications director for a religious organization. He leaves a wife, Shawn. (Adapted from a column by Tom Humphrey, News Sentinel,, Oct. 27, 2013) Break out your 2014 calendar, save Winter Convention dates Save these dates Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 5-7 for the 2014 Tennessee Press Association Winter Convention and Press Institute in Nashville. TPA Vice President Jason Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press, is chairing the planning committee. Taylor and the committee plan to energize the event with a Nashville theme and mixing in some new program topics. The convention will begin with important board, business and committee meetings Wednesday afternoon. These will be followed by the Opening Reception, to which all members of the Tennessee General Assembly are invited. Adam Yeomans of the Associated Press again will coordinate Thursday morning programming. The AP-TPA Legislative Preview will include state newsmakers and discussion of timely topics. Common Core is among topics being considered. TPA has invited Gov. Bill Haslam to speak at the Thursday luncheon. During the next few weeks, the committee will finalize topics and speakers for the Thursday afternoon and Friday Drive-In Training sessions. The TPA Foundation has provided a grant that will allow 50 college students to attend Drive-In Training. A convention schedule and registration packet will be available Dec. 9. Read Committee s take on the president and FOI The Committee to Protect Journalists has issued a report on President Barack H. Obama s administration with regard to the people s right to know, saying the Committee is disturbed by actions of the Obama administration. Read about these at org/reports/. REWRITES FROM THE TENNESSEE PRESS NOVEMBER 1963 Journalism school graduates trained to report and edit news for newspapers and wire services began work in 1963 for salaries ranging from $163 to $45 a week. A Nashville staffer of the Associated Press found a way to get free transportation to and from work, courtesy of the police department. Billy Bowles parked his car near his office, only to have a skidding police car strike it. Police offered him transportation until the legal department could work out a settlement. Mike Miller, who for a year was in charge of The News-Sentinel s Nashville bureau as capital correspondent, was reassigned to Washington as correspondent for Tennessee s Scripps-Howard newspaper. Charlie Gunn Critchlow, wife of Edmund S. Critchlow, editor and publisher of the Union City Daily Messenger, died Oct. 11 at age 61. Publisher Franklin Yates announced that the Shelbyville Times-Gazette would convert to offset printing. It was the 43rd Tennessee newspaper to do so, those 43 making up 27 percent of the state s papers. NOVEMBER 1988 The Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld the right of reporters to report on governmental meetings without fear of being sued. The ruling also said members of the public have the right to speak at public governmental meetings as long as their remarks are within the topics of the meeting. The opinion grew out of a lawsuit over stories in the Nashville Banner. TPA President John Paul Jones, The Daily News, Memphis, was among TPA members who participated in the first Tennessee Trot, an early morning jog around the UT track. A 6,000 square foot building project at the Bristol Herald-Courier was going to provide space for new business and executive offices and allow other departments to expand, Publisher Art Powers said. Elizabeth Kennedy Blackstone was working as a legislative assistant in the office of Sen. Jim Sasser in Washington. She had worked for the Nashville Banner, The Daily Herald, Columbia, The Record, Mt. Pleasant, and a daily newspaper in Carson, Nev. She also worked on the Al Gore senatorial and presidential campaigns.

6 6 The Tennessee Press NOVEMBER 2013 TPA committee chairmen, members TPA President Lynn J. Richardson this month announces the chairmen and members of 13 committees that will oversee various aspects of the Association s programs. She has opted to sunset the Postal Committee. TPA member newspaper staff members are welcome to serve on the various committees except for Nominating, which is composed of past presidents, and Hall of Fame Administrative, which designates specific people. Just get in touch with the chairman of the committee we have provided contact information for all. This listing does not include the Audit Committee and Journalism Education and Literacy Committee rosters. ADVERTISING This committee is charged with the planning and execution of the advertising programming for the annual Advertising/Circulation Conference in the spring. It also works with the Circulation Committee to review the Ideas Contest. In addition, the committee reviews and makes recommendations to the TPA Board Kahana of Directors on any projects, problems or ideas relating to the field of newspaper advertising. Ad/Circ. Conference: Spring Leslie Kahana, Chattanooga Times Free Press, chairman, lkahana@timesfreepress.com, (423) George Coleman, Kingsport Times-News Scarlet Elliott, The Milan Mirror- Exchange Jesse Lindsey, The Lebanon Democrat Amy Lutheran, The Daily Times, Maryville Danny Peppers, The Paris Post- Intelligencer Tony Ramirez, News Sentinel, Sissy Smith, Shelbyville Times- Gazette Mark Stevens, Elizabethton Star Artie Wehenkel, The Greeneville Sun David Wells, Tennessee Press Service, Roger Wells, Herald-Citizen, Cookeville CIRCULA- TION This committee will monitor and develop information for distribution to TPA members relating to Long changes and trends in the circulation field. This committee is charged with the planning and execution of the circulation programming for the annual Advertising/Circulation Conference in the spring. It also works with the Advertising Committee to review the Ideas Contest. A primary objective is to promote growth in attendance for the annual conference. Ad/Circ. Conference: Spring Dale Long, The Greeneville Sun, chairman, dale.long@greenevillesun.com, (423) Lu Shep Baldwin, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville Kathy Boswell, The Tullahoma News Phil Hensley, Johnson City Press Don Lovelace, Citizen Tribune, Morristown Bryan Sandmeier, The Daily Times, Maryville Olene Standfield, Shelbyville Times-Gazette CONTESTS This committee is charged with overseeing the annual UT-TPA State Press Contests. Included in its activities is the development of rules and categories for presentation to the membership each year. Further, members of this committee serve as the primary resource Likens pool for reciprocal judging assignments with other state press associations. Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston, chairman, tlikens@roanecounty.com, (865) Ann Cason, Grainger Today, Bean Station Meg Downey, The Tennessean, Nashville Amelia Hipps, Lebanon David Popiel, The Newport Plain Talk Charles Primm, UT Media Relations, Janet Rail, Independent Appeal, Selmer Mark Stevens, Elizabethton Star FUTURES Formed in July 2010 to look ahead to organizational needs of the association to determine the kind of association we need to be in the next five to seven years. Gregg K. Jones, Jones Media Inc., Jones Greeneville, chairman, gregg. jones@jonesmedia.biz, (423) Patrick Birmingham, News Sentinel, Jim Charlet, Brentwood, honorary member Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News Brad Franklin, The Lexington Progress Frank Gibson, Tennessee Press Association Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times- Gazette Steve Lake, Pulaski Citizen Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror- Exchange Janet Rail, Independent Appeal, Selmer Lynn J. Richardson, Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough John Seigenthaler, Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, Nashville Jason Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press Joel Washburn, The McKenzie Banner Michael B. Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Protecting the public s right to know by resisting any attempts to restrict free access to public records and/or public meetings is of paramount importance. This committee is charged with the responsibility for monitoring and properly reacting to any and all efforts to curtail the free flow of information in Tennessee or on the national level. The committee also should monitor and react to judicial actions, local regulatory actions or any other attempt to restrict information brought to TPA s attention. Committee also will be deeply involved with the legislative activities that might relate directly to the newspaper industry as a business in Tennessee. The committee will be called on at times to review and work on problems relating to the implementation of existing Blackstone legislation, i.e., working out solutions to problems with state regulatory departments or other enforcement divisions. TPA s junior vice president will cochair this com- Washburn mittee per policy set in Feb Elizabeth Blackstone, Kennedy Newspapers, Columbia, co-chairman, erfkb@bellsouth.net, (931) (cell) Joel Washburn, The McKenzie Banner, co-chairman, washburn@ mckenziebanner.com, (731) Eric Barnes, The Daily News, Memphis Brian Bloom, The Bartlett Express Jim Charlet, Brentwood, honorary member David Critchlow Jr., Union City Daily Messenger Elenora E. Edwards, The Tennessee Press, Clinton R. Jack Fishman, Citizen Tribune, Morristown Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News W.R. (Ron) Fryar, Cannon Courier, Woodbury Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Frank Gibson, Tennessee Press Association Dave Gould, The Wilson Post, Lebanon Tom Griscom, Chattanooga Henrietta Hayward, The Tennessean, Nashville Richard Hollow, Hollow & Hollow, Bo Johnson, Johnson Poss Government Relations, Nashville Gregg K. Jones, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville John M. Jones Jr., The Greeneville Sun Sam Kennedy, Kennedy Newspapers, Columbia Steve Lake, Pulaski Citizen Jack McElroy, News Sentinel, Mike Pirtle, Murfreesboro Melony Shemberger, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Pauline D. Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle Jason Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press Buzz Trexler, The Daily Times, Maryville F. Gene Washer, Clarksville Michael B. Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer Adam Yeomans, The Associated Press, Nashville HALL OF FAME ADMINISTRATIVE This committee executes the installation procedure for an individual selected for the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame, a joint project of the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Press Association Foundation. The chair of this committee will be the head of the UT School of Journalism or a designee. The TPA president will appoint two members to this committee, with UT designating two additional members. Peter Gross, UT School of Journalism and Elec- Gross tronic Media,, chairman, pgross@utk. edu, (865) Gregg K. Jones, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville, vice chairman, gregg. jones@jonesmedia.biz, (423) Ed Caudill, University of Tennessee, Elizabeth Hendrickson, UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media, Walter T. Pulliam, MEMBERSHIP Jones Formed in July 2010, this committee is tasked with enhancing participation at all of our meetings, seeking new associate members and reviewing TPA s dues structure. Mark Stevens, Elizabethton Star, chairman, mstevens@starhq.com, (423) Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times- Gazette SEE COMMITTEES, PAGE 7

7 NOVEMBER 2013 The Tennessee Press 7 TPA committee chairmen, members FROM PAGE 6 Janet Rail, Independent Appeal, Selmer Keith Whitson, The Erwin Record Patricia Zechman, Southern Standard, McMinnville NOMINATING Stevens The Nominating Committee is composed of past presidents of the Tennessee Press Association who are still actively involved in the newspaper industry in the state. They face the important responsibility of developing and presenting a recommended slate of officers and directors to the membership each year. Much of the success of TPA over the years can be directly attributed to the careful process by which this committee goes about its job. Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer, chairman, mwilliams@parispi. net, (731) Williams Jeff Fishman, The Tullahoma News R. Michael Fishman, Citizen Tribune, Morristown W.R. (Ron) Fryar, Cannon Courier, Woodbury Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Gregg K. Jones, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville John M. Jones Jr., The Greeneville Sun Sam Kennedy, Kennedy Newspapers, Columbia Hershel Lake, Pulaski Citizen Steve Lake, Pulaski Citizen Victor Parkins, The Milan Mirror- Exchange Janet Rail, Independent Appeal, Selmer Pauline D. Sherrer, Crossville Chronicle Bill Williams, Paris SUMMER CONVENTION This committee is charged with the planning, promotion and execution of the annual summer convention, including securing sponsorships to offset the cost to the general membership. Members are traditionally from newspapers located in the area where the summer convention will be held. The 2014 Summer Convention will be held June 5-7 in Memphis. Jana Thomasson, The Mountain Press, Sevierville, chairman, jmt@ themountainpress.com, (865) Carl Esposito, The Daily Times, Maryville R. Michael Fishman, Citizen Tribune, Morristown Allen Handley, The Courier News, Clinton Brent Schanding, LaFollette Press Joi Whaley, The Mountain Press, Sevierville TECHNOLOGY Thomasson Formed in 2000, the committee addresses technology issues central to our industry. This committee will address issues from Internet presence to pagination to alternative uses of technology throughout all newspaper operations. John Finney, Kennedy Newspapers, Linden, Finney chairman, advocateonline@bellsouth.net, (931) Alan Broyles, Johnson City Press Scott Critchlow, Union City Daily Messenger Hulon Dunn, Lewis County Herald, Hohenwald Chris Ford, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis Seth Horn, Citizen Tribune, Morristown Kevin Slimp, Tennessee Press Service, Joe Stagner, Your Community Shopper, Ardmore Brittany Washburn, The McKenzie Banner WINTER CONVENTION AND PRESS INSTITUTE This committee is appointed each spring and is responsible for the planning, development, and execution of the annual Winter Convention and TPA-UT Press Institute held in connection with the winter convention. It is responsible for the educational and informational sessions held during the two and onehalf day convention. In addition to the regular sessions the president may request the Press Institute Committee to assist in the planning of other activities or special assignments, which he may direct to the chairman. The senior vice president will chair this committee per policy set in February The next Winter Convention is Feb. 5-7, 2014 in Nashville. Jason Taylor, Chattanooga Times Free Press, chairman, jtay- Taylor lor@timesfree- press.com, (423) Peter Gross, UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media, Hugh Jones, Shelbyville Times- Gazette Andrew Oppmann, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro Joel Washburn, The McKenzie Banner Adam Yeomans, The Associated Press, Nashville Ex officio: Lynn J. Richardson, Herald & Tribune, Jonesborough, TPA president Bragg to end service as mayor Tommy Bragg announced Oct. 16 that he will not seek a fourth term as Murfreesboro mayor. Enough is enough, he confirmed in an interview Oct. 16. I set out, when first running for mayor, to help with economic development, foster our community s relationship and growth with Middle Tennessee State University, help strengthen Murfreesboro City Schools, generate new good-paying jobs and we ve done that. Bragg, 66, comes from a family with multi-centuries of public service. His grandfather was Minor Bragg, who published Woodbury s Cannon Courier and The Rutherford Courier (Smyrna) back in the era. His father, John Bragg, served as a state representative for 30 years. 50 years without Daddy November 1963, to me, means the time my hero died BY ELENORA E. EDWARDS Managing editor I never saw my father, Guy Easterly, cry in the 20 years I knew him. But I saw him almost cry three times: one was in mid-november He had flown home from Memphis, where he and Mother had been attending a National Editorial Association convention and where, after being hit with excruciating pain in a meeting with the NEA board, he learned that he had extensive cancer that would take his life. The Alcoa airport was a few miles from Maryville College, where I was a junior. A professor and his wife took me to the airport to visit briefly with Daddy and Mother before TPA Secretary-Manager Glenn E. McNeil and Edwards Easterly his wife, Ercie, drove them on home to LaFollette. I handed Daddy the first issue of The Highland Echo, the college newspaper of which I had become news editor. He took it, looked at it for a moment and, with pride and tears in his eyes, thanked me. He died two weeks later, five days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Like almost everyone else, I remem- ber where I was when the word came. Dr. Edwin Hunter s Chaucer class. But Daddy s death devastated me, and I still play over in my mind various scenes connected with that. I never dreamed that my hero and my security wouldn t live for many more years. From early childhood I always found the goings-on at The LaFollette Press, which we owned, fascinating. When at the Press, I roamed through the front office, shop and press room, watching and sometimes helping as our bookkeeper sold classified ads or sent out subscription notices or the Linotype operators set type or changed molds or the floormen made up pages. During those years printer s ink soaked into my veins from the blobs of it I got on my hands or legs when I got too close to a job press or the big Goss. Elen, stay away from the ink, Mother would say as she let me out of the car to stay at the Press while she ran an errand. But it wasn t unusual for me to climb back into the car with a ruined playsuit. I remember the first job I had at the Press, one I took on myself one summer when I was about eight. It was around We sold papers to carriers at two for a nickel, and they sold them for a nickel each. A 100 percent profit not bad. I thought it would help Daddy if I sold papers, so I took five or so and started down the street. As I had seen others do, I called out, Press! The loud sound of my own voice scared me (we didn t yell at our house), but I continued, LaFollette Press! In a couple of minutes, I sold them and went back to the office to get more. I did that off and on for a few years. I look back on it now with some embarrassment I didn t see that those kids needed the two and a half cents more than Daddy. As I got older, I painted the pink gooey stuff on stacks of paper we were going to sell as scratch pads, collated receipt books (white, yellow, pink), took personals for Mother, the society editor, when someone called and she wasn t handy and now and then wrote a story. Near the end of my freshman year at Maryville, a friend confided in me that she was in a bind, with two finals and a paper as well as a story for The Highland Echo due the next day. I can do that, I said. So since I was finished with tests and finals, I handled it for SEE HERO, PAGE 10

8 8 The Tennessee Press NOVEMBER 2013 NOVEMBER 2013 The Tennessee Press 9 Kevin Slimp, INT director, welcomes attendees Oct. 17 (Left) Jen Madden, South Carolina Press Association Greg Sherrill, TPA executive director, left, chats with Dr. Mike Wirth, dean of the UT College of Communication and Information Foreground, Eric Smith, UT Daily Beacon, and Sandy Dodson, The Bledsonian- Banner, Pikeville, at lunch Lisa Griffin, INT instructor from Boone Newspapers, Selma, Ala. She has taught at 16 of the 17 Institutes. Wanda Koch, The Catholic Commentator, Baton Rouge, La., with other attendees reflected in computer monitors Oct , 2013 University of Tennessee campus PHOTOS BY ROBYN GENTILE TPA Sloan Lake, Pulaski Publishing, foreground, and Karen Jacob, Biskinik, Durant, Okla. Ed Henninger, Ed Henninger Consulting, Rock Hill, S.C., answers a question from Shell Armstrong, Tri-Parish Times, Houma, La., left, while Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston, listens. Fred Anders, INT instructor, provides pointers in Adobe Illustrator. He is with Texas Press Association. Clay Scott, Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin, left, walks with Ed Henninger, INT instructor with Henninger Consulting, Rock Hill, S.C. Tracey Trumbull, INT instructor from Chattanooga, talks with David Spencer, Kentucky Press Association, during a break. Jarad Greene, South Carolina Press Association, takes notes. Listening is Karen Jacob, Biskinik, Durant, Okla. SUBMITTED J.R. Mangrum, The Tullahoma News, was lucky and met Vols Football Coach Butch Jones. Foreground, Wanda Koch, The Catholic Commentator, Baton Rouge, La., asks a question. Next to her is Jeremy Slayton, Virginia Press Association. Background, Jarad Greene, South Carolina Press Association, and Karen Jacob, Biskinik, Durant, Okla. From left, Sam Smith, The LaFollette Press; Karl Kuntz, INT instructor from the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; and Chris Cannon, The LaFollette Press Ryan Sandmeyer, The Tullahoma News, and Kevin Slimp, INT director, chat during a break. From left, Dale Gentry, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City; Teresa Templin and Teresa Ayers, Hamblen County Schools, Morristown; and Kevin Slimp, INT director Lisa Miller, New Century Press, Rock Rapids, Iowa, plays corn hole during the INT tailgate party. From left, Deidre Elrod, Biskinik, Durant, Okla., Garnett Colburn, George County Times, Lucedale, Miss. and Ed Henninger, INT instructor, with the UT vs. South Carolina game day activities in the background. They had just watched the Pride of the Southland Marching Band make its way to Neyland Stadium.

9 10 The Tennessee Press NOVEMBER 2013 Chattanooga News-Free Press Forerunner of the Chattanooga Times Free Press and incorporating The Chattanooga Times (Images continue on page continue on page 11) November 1963: My hero died Chattanooga Daily Times Later called The Chattanooga Times FROM PAGE 7 her. In a day or two, the editor asked if I d write for the paper the next year. About two months into my sophomore year, it dawned on me that newspapers were my thing. I ve never looked back. When I told Daddy I wanted to go into newspapers, he didn t try to dissuade me; he wouldn t have. He simply said, It s hard work for a woman. I set about applying to journalism schools and chose the University of Missouri. So when I went to see Daddy at the airport on his way home, I knew and he knew what I was going to do. The fall after graduation from M.C., I went to Missouri. I worked two years for the Missouri Press Association and a few months in the Freedom of Information Center. After graduate school and some months working at The La- Follette Press, which we had sold to longtime friend Walter Pulliam, I was offered a job at the Clinton Courier- News, working for one of Daddy s best friends, Horace V. Wells Jr. A picture of Daddy and other former TPA presidents was hanging over my desk the day I began there. When I left the paper, Mr. Wells took it off the wall and gave it to me. I grew up being called Little Guy. After Daddy died, many people said I looked just like him, but I thought for a long time it was because they wanted to see him in me. People loved Daddy in a way I think few people are loved. I didn t know he thought I looked like him, though, until recently. I found a clipping of one of Daddy s columns in early 1943 in which he wrote about my arrival and said, This one looks like me. (My sister, Helen Anne, looked like Mother s side of the family, the Walkers.) Daddy worked long hours at the papers (he later bought the Jellico Advance-Sentinel). If he wasn t at the paper, he was covering a meeting the first four nights of the week. He worked Saturday mornings too, most of the time. And Sunday afternoons were reserved for handling correspondence. In the early 1940s Daddy s workload was so great I don t know how he did it. In 1941 or 1942, the county needed a principal for East LaFollette Grammar School. Daddy, beyond the age to be drafted for World War II, was one of the few men left in Campbell County qualified to serve as a principal. So he took the job, opening the school early in the morning, teaching eighth grade and handling the many duties of a principal, and then went to the Press to put out the paper. He did that two or three years and then went back to the Press full time. It was really his love for Mother that led him to LaFollette. He was part owner of the Pineville (Ky.) Courier but regularly made the trip through the mountains to LaFollette to court Mother. The Press, owned by Kyle and Don Whitehead, had gone bankrupt during the Depression. (Don covered World War II and later won two Pulitzer Prizes as a World War II correspondent for the Associated Press). The equipment was sitting idle and the town had no newspaper. Three businessmen proposed that they and SEE HERO, PAGE 11

10 NOVEMBER 2013 The Tennessee Press 11 FROM PAGE 10 Daddy put up equal parts of money to buy and restart the paper. They did, and within a few years he bought their shares. After I learned to read, I read in the funnies about Dagwood, who resembled Daddy, and his problems with Mr. Dithers. That worried me, so I asked Daddy who his boss was. I was so relieved when he told me he was the boss! I wish he had been here many more years for Mother, my sister and me. The News-Sentinel Forerunner of the News Sentinel, I learned so much from him. Sometimes I went into the room where he studied and wrote, where I asked him questions about things like politics, religion and war. He always said, when those sessions were over, that he felt his brain had been picked. But I could tell he liked it. Memories nurture and comfort me, of course. My standing on his shoes as we danced. The adoration with which he looked at Mother. The impeccable manners he practiced at the same time he had the toughness needed to get the (Images continue on page continue on page 12) November 1963: My hero died newspaper job done right. His explanation on a Christmas morning when I asked why I didn t get the bicycle I had asked for: Our best hardware advertiser (where one bought bicycles then) sells blue Murrays, not pink Schwinns. I understood. I can picture Daddy sitting at his typewriter at the Press, working on his column or a story. His using a makeup rule to scrape bits of lead from type before placing it in a chase. I can picture his getting together some papers he was going to need, sticking them in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis his back pocket and walking gingerly down the street to make his calls. I don t remember Daddy s getting many calls at home. But one period I do remember was when he wrote editorials in favor of reappraisal, which hadn t taken place for years and was unpopular with a lot of people. His pitching softball for Helen Anne and me. His lifting my Mother off her feet as he came into the house after a day s work, as well as her shy but pleased smile. I remember the trips we made to newspaper conventions. Betty Finney Kennedy and I have talked about the evening in 1960 at an NEA meeting in Hershey, Pa. Daddy had been elected NEA president. Sam, Betty and their son, Delk, were there (Elizabeth then was but a gleam in her father s eye), as well as a number of other Tennesseans. Betty remembered because, as she put it, she danced with all three of the men in my life : Sam; Delk, about four, I m guessing; and her father, John W. SEE HERO, PAGE 12

11 12 The Tennessee Press NOVEMBER 2013 As misinformation abounds, journalists need to offer health law facts, references BY AL CROSS Director, Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, Lexington, Ky. The need for journalists at all levels to report the facts on health reform was freshly illustrated in a column by Washington Post writer Dana Milbank, in which he said bad information is perhaps the biggest problem facing Obamacare. Because of all the noise and disinformation, President (Barack H.) Obama and the Democrats don t just own Obamacare as a political issue. They own health care, Milbank writes. Anytime something bad happens premiums rise or employers change plans or pare coverage Obamacare will be blamed, even if the new law had nothing to do with the change. For example, opponents of the law blame it for rising insurance premiums. That s true in cases where people had bought cheap policies that didn t cover much, because the law requires policies to cover 10 specific areas of service. But Premiums were up about 4 percent last year, a much slower growth rate than the average annual increase of 13.2 percent between 1999 and 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Milbank writes. But it s easy to blame Obamacare for something that would have happened anyway. We also hear of businesses dropping health coverage for their employees, but Obamacare isn t the only reason. Long before Obamacare, as many as a quarter of all businesses each year made reductions in health-care coverage, Milbank writes. The only difference is now businesses can blame Obamacare. Sean Hannity of Fox News added to the misinformation by interviewing a North Carolina contractor who claimed that he would have to provide health insurance to anybody working more than 30 hours a week, Milbank reports. Salon s Eric Stern called Cox, and he found that the business has only four employees and therefore is not affected by the new requirement, which applies to businesses with 50 or more workers. Obamacare s opponents call it a job killer because of the 30-hour rule and point to statistics showing the bulk of recent hiring has been for part-time jobs, Milbank writes. In reality, according to an analysis by Moody s, factors other than Obamacare were at work (most of the new jobs were in industries that always use more parttime workers). But the new law gets the blame. Such misinformation was the target of an editorial in The Sentinel-News, a twice-weekly newspaper in Shelbyville, Ky. It said Misinformation and carefully constructed lies abound, and many people have fallen victim to exaggerated individual experiences posted on social media and even worse, the acceptance and delivery of similar items by otherwise responsible broadcast news outlets. The editorial called on readers to find out the facts for themselves and directed them to local sources of information. That s a message that would be worth repeating by every newspaper in the country and worth the investment of some reporting time. That s especially true in rural areas, where people are more likely to be uninsured and benefit from the law. (Oct. 24, 2013) Cartoonists leave impression on city More than 30 members of the Southeast Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society met Oct. 26 and 27 in, with News Sentinel Cartoonist Charlie Daniel as their host. The newspaper carried cartoonists drawings of their impression of the city and carried others online ( The Sunsphere, Mayor Madeline Rogero and the area s hills were typical subjects. The group offers social and networking opportunities for cartoonists throughout the Southeast and hopes to establish a sub-group soon. (News Sentinel,, Oct. 27, 2013) The Nashville Tennessean Forerunner of The Tennessean, Nashville November 1963: My hero died FROM PAGE 11 Finney, a Southern gentleman in the finest sense of the word, an exemplary newspaperman and a man my father loved. I remember when Daddy sang On Top of Old Smoky at a country-style dinner TPA held at an attraction owned by the Bill Postlewaites, whose main enterprise was the Gatlinburg Press. His reciting The Cremation of Sam McGhee as we sat with friends on the rim of the Grand Canyon. For a long time I thought Daddy was the finest man I d ever known, and that s still generally true. Isn t that what girls are supposed to think? MARKETPLACE REPORTER POSITION AVAIL- ABLE - Bristol Herald Courier. News reporter for a 30,000 daily newspaper. The job requires an energetic, hardworking individual with a passion for journalism and community news. Covering police/crime issues/general assignment. Strong writing and interviewing skills and the ability to develop sources. Accuracy is a must with attention Daddy, 62, died at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 1963, two hours before deadline. That week, the lead story in The LaFollette Press was about him. to detail and the ability to operate under deadlines. He or she must also be able to tell stories on multiple platforms. Must be a self-starter and gogetter who recognizes a good story and can juggle several at once. Must have sound news judgment and the ability to respond to breaking news. Send resume and clips to: scameron@bristolnews.com. MARKETPLACE ADVERTISING SALES POSITION AVAILABLE - The Standard Banner, Jefferson City, a local, family-owned newspaper, is looking for an assertive sales person to do telemarketing sales for our classified department. This new position is designed to grow revenue by creating new and exciting promotions to offer to our advertisers and readers. The successful sales person in this career will have the opportunity to make top commissions based on their ability to prospect new sources of advertisers, generate new revenue and put their creativity to work. Those with at least three years telemarketing sales experience and a proven record of meeting goals and growing customer base should apply by ing their cover letter and detailed resume. The successful candidate will be highly organized and selfdriven. This is an ideal position for someone wanting a challenging career and daily interaction with people in the community but a part-time schedule that works for family and personal life as well. The flexible hours of this position let you have both. This part-time position will pay an hourly wage as well as commission. resume to: apply@endeavorsky.com POSITION AVAILABLE - Reporter/ associate editor with excellent potential for advancement. Writing, photography, pagination and sales skills required. Send resume with references to: Danny Jones The Gazette P.O. Box 7 Trenton, Tenn danny@trentongazette.com.